§ 6-201. Purpose.

§ 6-201. Purpose.

(A) The purpose of these guidelines is to aid judges of the courts of Nebraska in determining whether a proceeding may be closed from the general public, in whole or in part.

In formulating such guidelines it must be kept in mind that as a general principle it is the view of the judiciary of the State of Nebraska that proceedings should be open to the public at all times and only closed, in whole or in part, where evidence presented to the court establishes that by permitting all or part of the proceeding to remain open to the public, a party's right to a fair trial will be substantially and adversely affected and there are no other reasonable alternatives available to protect against such substantial and adverse effect.

We therefore establish the following guidelines to aid judges of the courts of the State of Nebraska in determining whether a judicial proceeding of any type should be closed, in whole or in part.

(B) Except as otherwise specifically provided by law or by these guidelines, the general public should not be excluded from a legal proceeding of any type or nature, including a pretrial criminal hearing, suppression hearing, or trial on the merits.

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The State of Nebraska Judicial Branch

The Constitution of the State of Nebraska distributes the judicial power of the state among the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, ­district courts, and county courts. All state courts operate under the administrative direction of the Supreme Court. In addition to the courts created by the Constitution, the Nebraska judicial system has two other courts – the separate juvenile courts located in Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy Counties, and a statewide Workers’ Compensation Court.